On 12 September sixty-six Loreto Sisters and a number of lay co-workers gathered at the Emmaus Centre in Swords, Co Dublin for the annual Loreto Education Day.

During the course of the morning the Sisters listened to a range of presentations. Most of these were devoted to recent developments in Loreto education but there was also a presentation on the historical legacy of Mary Ward, Teresa Ball and other Loreto pioneers. “We are all partners in God’s work” (1 Cor 3:5-8) was one of the themes for the day and this Scriptural quotation was at the heart of the opening prayer which was led by Srs Carmel Swords and Gerardine Mullen.

“We educate our young people to be agents of social change… who will commit themselves to building a better world”    Loreto Kolkata Education Guidelines

The day was opened with a formal welcome to the gathering from Provincial, Sr Teresa Mac Paul, IBVM. She paid tribute to the work of Sr Mary O’Connor, former Director of the Loreto Education Centre, whose initiative and skill brought the Loreto Education Trust to fruition, in all its legal complexity, with the aim of ensuring a continuity of ethos in Loreto schools into the future.

Sr Rionach Donlon, in chairing the first session, quoted from Dr Donal Murray, Bishop of Limerick. In his view, “Education is the transmission of a tradition… A civilisation is like an ancient but still magnificent building… We inherited the house from our parents and we want to leave it in good order to our children. We know that they will adapt it to their needs, indeed we want them to. But as its temporary guardians we know that we must teach our children its history.”

Sr Elaine McDonald’s presentation, ‘Mary Ward’s Educational Heritage’ gave an overview of four hundred years of IBVM education. Drawing on her recent research, she gave new insights into Mary Ward’s exploration of uncharted waters and her ability to push the boundaries of her time. Teresa Ball’s understanding of her context in 19^th century Ireland and her consolidation of Mary Ward’s original plan was also explored while there was a fresh insight into the educational pioneering of Mother Michael Corcoran. She introduced science into the curriculum and supported the establishment of university classes for women at Loreto, St Stephen’s Green.

Sr Elaine also underlined Mother Michael’s role in trying to bring about the union of the Institute during her time of leadership. She then looked at Sr Eucharia Ryan’s struggle to continue the university education initiated for women in the Green in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. The contribution of archivists Srs Paula Doolin, Damien O’Donoghue, Kathleen Fitzgerald and others in alerting Elaine to specific documents and letters in the a rich and important archive was praised.

The focus of the day then shifted from the past to the present as the various presentations covered a broad spectrum of the new developments in Loreto’s work in education. Sr Marie Céline Clegg and Loreto Education Officer, Michael Denny gave an update on the work of the Loreto Education Centre in supporting the network of Loreto schools – which continues to be the bedrock of Loreto’s education ministry. These supports include new teacher inductions, meetings of principals and other personnel, the Boards of Management, the Loreto Network, seminars, debates and sport. Tribute was paid to Sr Estelle McGoldrick’s dedication and hard work as Office Manager in the Education Centre.

Michael Denny then outlined the efforts to build up the JPIC focus in the schools and this included four two-day training workshops with JPIC teacher co-ordinators. He also drew attention to the publication of the 2009 JPIC booklet and highlighted the forthcoming completion of a 20-minute DVD with photos on the successful Kenya immersion trip last June. He paid tribute to the commitment of St Michael’s, Navan in promoting Justice and Peace in education and showed slides of Clonmel’s work in this area. 

Sr Eileen Randles delivered an impressive report on Sr Angela Powell’s successful work as the Properties Officer in Loreto schools over the past seven years. Referring to Angela’s huge experience in this area, Sr Eileen told the gathering in Emmaus that this expertise is held in such regard in the Department of Education that they have phoned her on occasion to ask her advice.

The second part of the morning was chaired by Noelle Corscadden and focused on the broader aspect of the education ministry. The multifaceted work of the Mary Ward International office in Ireland was then outlined by Sr Kathleen MacLennan. The links she has fostered through the schools, past pupils and friends of Loreto, as well as through Government sources, provide substantial funding (which she gave a resume of) in support of Loreto ministries in developing countries. She acknowledged the input from the current Mary Ward Committee which includes Srs Eileen Randles, Roisin Darcy, Lucy Byrne, Noelle Corscadden, Maria Hyland and Treasa Murphy. Srs Ann O’Donoghue and Lucy Byrne were especially thanked for their years of service to MWI (and Sr Ann O’Donoghue was also mentioned for her help in furthering the aims of MWI.)

Finally, Sr Brede Quirke spoke about the ministry initiated by Sr Anne O’Dwyer at the Loreto Centre in Crumlin. Established in 1998 to provide opportunities for community development and personal growth for the people of the area, it continues to thrive. Recently thirty-two women from the Centre were conferred with a Diploma in Women’s Studies by UCD. The book-keeping expertise and work of Bernadette Foley, as well as the financial support of the Loreto Foundation in partnership with the VEC, Crosscare and a team of counsellors was recognised, and notably the commitment and hard work over the years of Sr Estelle McGoldrick as office manager.

The meeting was organised by Srs Eileen Randles, Gerardine Mullen, Carmel Swords and Angela Powell. The hope that the Loreto education ministry would continue to flourish and be blessed into the future is perhaps summed up in the following pledge:

“Holding in trust the gift of Mary Ward’s distinctive vision, we undertake the trusteeship of the Loreto enterprise of education now and into the future.”